150 Years Ago In Middletown, Russell Library

In a community survey conducted by the Historical Society a few years ago, we asked what people most enjoyed about local history. The answer given by many was that they loved hearing about people and how they lived through momentous events in the past.

The Civil War was one of the landmark events in the history of our country. What was Middletown like in the early 1860s? How—and how much—did Middletonians know about the war? What else did they care about? What were their daily lives like? Pat Tully will answer many of these questions in her talk to be given at the annual meeting of the Historical Society on Monday, April 25 at 7:00 pm in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.

Starting in March 2011, Tully undertook a project she hoped would answer some of these questions. Shecreated a blog, 150 Years Ago In Middletown, Connecticut,with weekly posts consisting of xcerpts from one of the local newspapers of the time: the Middletown Constitution. This close reading of the newspaper shed new light on what it was like to live in Middletown during the Civil War, with an immediacy not often achievable in history books or documentaries.

The Constitution: This talk will summarize and illustrate a few of the Middletown stories brought to light in this project, which was completed in June 2015. It will also describe how the project was begun, how articles and story lines were selected, and how it changed over time.

Pat Tully
is a librarian with a passion for the history of Middletown and Middlesex County. She has lived in the area for 12 years, and been an active member of the Society since 2006, having served as President for four years. She holds a B.A. from Williams College and a Masters in Information and Library Studies from the University ofMichigan. She is also a member of the Middletown Rotary Club and the One Book on the Riverbend literacy project. The annual meeting lecture is delivered each year in memory of Arthur M. Schultz.

This Article Is From The April 2016 Newsletter Of the Middlesex County Historical Society